


Just Think of It as a New Experience

by LonghornLetters



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Competency is hot as fuck, Episode Tag, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Reid's a low key high roller, Skill as an implied aphrodisiac, and Dave is high key impressed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 07:24:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18116048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonghornLetters/pseuds/LonghornLetters
Summary: Spencer promised Dave an experience if he'd loan them the buy-in for the high stakes game in Snake Eyes.  That didn't work out quite as Spencer intended, but Dave's going to make sure he gets what he's been promised.





	Just Think of It as a New Experience

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Deejaymil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deejaymil/gifts).



> This is for Deejaymil...you've welcomed me into this fandom with open arms. I'm so glad we're friends, and I want you to have this fluff to brighten your day whenever you need a little sunshine.

> I like blackjack.  But I like the psychology of poker.
> 
> ~~Joshua Bell

 

Spencer got back to the resident office before the rest of the team returned from the arrest, and once the rest of them made it back, JJ dragged him into an empty office so they could start sorting out the paperwork.  

Nearly an hour later, Spencer finally put down his pen with a groan.  “How is this so complicated?” he asked. “We didn’t even use public money.”

JJ laughed as she gathered all of the forms together and checked that he’d signed everything before shoving it into a folder.  “Doesn’t matter. It’s money that was used in the course of an official investigation. If we don’t report it correctly, the defense can use it against us in court.”

“I know,” Spencer replied, massaging his writing hand.  “It’s just a hassle is all.”

“You don’t have to tell me,” JJ agreed.  She whapped him on the shoulder with the folder.  “At least you left with more than you took in.”

Spencer shook his head.  “Nope.”

“What?”  JJ stopped in the door.  “But you’d just won a sixty thousand dollar pot.”

“Yeah, but I did make a grab for something in someone else’s space.”  He shrugged. “It flushed Banks out, but it’d get you banned anywhere you tried it.  Got me banned from this tournament.”

JJ snorted.  “Did you plan on coming back?”  

“Never say never,” Spencer answered sagely as they made their way back to the conference room they’d been using as a command center.  “This was an exceptionally well-run tournament. I’d have liked to play it for real.”

“With what buy-in?” She asked with a laugh. 

Dave looked up from where he was helping Emily organize their files.  “That’s a good question. With what buy-in? Since, I’m assuming you lost my entire stake when you  _ cheated _ .”

“Bad boy, Spence,” Emily chimed in.

Spencer withdrew a cashier’s cheque from the inside pocket of his jacket with a smirk.  “This buy-in?” 

“How’d--” Dave started, taking the cheque from Spencer.  He looked from the slip of paper in his hands worth fifty grand up to Spencer’s smug face.  “I didn’t think casinos returned a buy-in if a player was kicked out.”

“Normally they wouldn’t,” he agreed.  “But the tournament organizers decided to make a one-time-only exception for a federal agent attempting to catch a superstitious spree killer.”

Dave smacked a kiss onto Spencer’s cheek and laughed.  “You’re too much for me sometimes, you know that?”

Spencer’s face pinked up under the attention.  “We’re working,” he mumbled around the smile he couldn’t suppress.

Hotch chose that moment to join them, and with a pointed glance between Dave and Spencer, he asked, “Are we almost ready here?”

“Got all our stuff boxed up and ready to fly,” Emily answered. 

“Finished out the crime scene report and booking paperwork for Banks,” Morgan added.

“Prepped all the paperwork for the money we used at the tournament,” JJ said.

“Returned all the money we used in the tournament,” Spencer chimed in.

“Kissasses,” Dave muttered with only a little heat.

Hotch glared at Dave then nodded to the rest of the team with a thin smile, “Great.  I’ve spoken with our pilot, and we’re cleared for takeoff in a little under an hour.”

Hotch said their goodbyes to the locals and they all trooped down to the SUVs, ready to put Atlantic City in the rearview mirror.

Walking across the parking lot, Spencer jumped at Dave throwing an arm around his shoulders.  “How much leave you got, gorgeous?”

Spencer couldn’t stop the smile or the blush as he shrugged under Dave’s arm.  “Not sure. I went to see Ethan for a couple days after we finished in Houston, but--”

“Hey Aaron,” Dave called.  

“Yeah?” Hotch responded, looking over at them with a suspiciously mild expression on his face.

Dave hugged Spencer a little closer.  “How much leave does Spence have?”

Hotch smirked.  “Enough for a long weekend in Atlantic City if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Great.  And how much--”

“You have enough leave for a long weekend too,” Aaron answered with a chuckle.

Morgan wolf whistled from the open passenger window.  “Get some, Pretty Boy!”

“Jesus,” Spencer murmured with a laugh, ducking his head to hide his blush.

“Let’s go, high roller,” Dave said, steering them towards a car idling at the curb.

 

~~*~~

 

“What’s this?” Spencer asked as Dave let them into a suite at the Tropicana.

“If I recall correctly, when I gave you the buy-in, I was promised a new experience,” he answered, tossing his go bag onto one of the chairs and smiling at Spencer’s suspicious face.  

Spencer rolled his eyes.  “I’m pretty sure you got one,” he retorted.  He grinned at the memory. “The last time I got bounced from a casino I was nineteen.”

“Counting cards?” Dave asked.  He gave Spencer a  _ hurry up _ gesture to get him moving.

Spencer nodded down at his open go bag.  “Yeah. Scholarships didn’t exactly cover everything mom and I needed.”  He looked up and met Dave’s eye with a diffident smile. “Got a little greedy.  At least casinos aren’t above hiring people like me to find other people like me.”

Spencer pulled clean clothes out of his bag and started towards the bathroom.  He paused at the door. “I’ll shower and change, then I’ll give you an experience.”

 

~~*~~

 

“Why don’t you dress like this for work?” Dave asked, eyeing the way Spencer’s dark grey suit and black tie made him look less like a bemused graduate assistant and more like a slick card sharp.

Spencer smirked at Dave.  “Can you imagine the uproar if I started showing up to work like this?  The words ‘kept’ and ‘man’ would start getting thrown around right quick.”

“No they wouldn’t.  They’d just think you were interviewing for another job.”  Dave smiled at the cashier and handed her a banded stack of hundreds.  “All ten in chips, please, ma’am.”

“How would you like that, sir?” the young lady asked  

Dave pointed at Spencer.  “Ask him. He’s my high roller.”

“Whatever I’d need for the high limit tables, please,” Spencer spoke to the cashier before turning back to Dave.  

“That might actually be worse,” he pointed out.  “You weren’t here the last time someone on the team tried to leave.  Penelope was not happy, and I do not want to be on the receiving end of that, even as a joke.”

Spencer accepted his tray of chips from the cashier with a nod of thanks.  “So, a high table minimum? That way I have some actual competition.” 

Dave shrugged.  “I’m easy.”

“Yeah, you are.” Spencer answered with a smile and a waggle of his eyebrows.  He laughed when Dave wrapped his arm around him and reeled him in to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“I love when you laugh,” Dave said, letting his arm come to settle at Spencer’s waist.  "Your whole face lights up."

Spencer ducked his head to hide his blushing smile.  Instead of actually responding to Dave’s compliment, he tilted his chips at Dave.  “You want in on this action?”

Dave shook his head.  “Nah. From what JJ and Emily told me, you’re so far outta my league it’s not even a question.  I’ll just rail bird it and watch you have your fun.”

Spencer nodded then kissed Dave.  “For luck.”

 

~~*~~

 

Life as a high stakes room railbird was not to be underestimated Dave decided a couple hours later.  He’d been stringing some Glendronach Allardice along and watching Spencer take on all comers to the tune of a steadily mounting pile of chips.

After he cleaned out the last person who’d joined his table, Spencer had a quiet conversation with the on-call accountant before signing what looked like tax forms.  He slipped the form into the inner pocket of his jacket before tipping the dealer and the waitress. With a nod and as smile, Spencer thanked the staff and gathered his things.

When he came to join Dave on the rail with his winnings, he liberated Dave’s scotch and drained the last sip then handed the glass back to Dave.  “You ready?”

Dave nodded.  “Let’s get you cashed out.”

They wandered back towards the cages, Dave watching Spencer idly people watch like he wasn’t carrying a small fortune in chips.

The same young lady was working in the cashier’s cages when they finally made their way back to the edge of the gaming floor.  “You’re back,” she said with a smile. She started running his chips through the counter, and her eyes grew larger as his total mounted.  “You certainly did well for yourself tonight!”

Spencer peered into the bag of his winnings as they made their way to the bank of elevators then up.  “A hundred thousand dollars always looks smaller than I expect it to.”

Dave laughed.  “So what’re you gonna do with your ill-gotten gains?”

“A list of disappointingly practical things that I won’t bore you with.”

“I can’t convince you to do  _ anything _ wild with it?”  Dave asked, swiping them into their suite.

Spencer tossed the bag onto the TV stand then grabbed Dave by the lapels and pulled him into the room.  “You  _ could _ ...I’m always open to new experiences.”

 

> What I love most about this crazy life is the adventure of it.
> 
> ~~Juliette Binoche

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I am aware that I've taken some serious liberties with the way casinos function and their policies for cashing out a high dollar amount, but if TV can show someone getting a ton of cash then so can I dammit. 
> 
> Also, thank you for reading and leaving kudos/comments. Y'all are awesome.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Old Dog, Meet New Tricks](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18597184) by [Deejaymil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deejaymil/pseuds/Deejaymil)




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